Stylishly Dunne
It’s been 20-plus years since Dunne & Crescenzi first broke ground in the Dublin restaurant scene, says Lucinda O’Sullivan. Today, they’re household names, and have recently opened a new eatery
When Eileen Dunne and Stefano Crescenzi first opened their Italian deli La Vista in Sutton in 1995, Ireland was awash with sloshy-red-tomato-sauce ‘Italian’ eateries. It didn’t take the duo long to attract attention, as people lapped up the concept of authentic Italian casual eating.
Four years later, the couple moved into the city centre, where I remember interviewing Eileen at their first enoteca in South Frederick Street. It was the first time Dubliners were able to eat ‘when in Rome’ style, enjoying wonderful antipasti platters of cured meats, spectacular cheeses, rich Italian wines, superb olive oils and coffee, in chic, understated surroundings.
Over the next couple of years, they opened a number of restaurants under their umbrella, trading as Dunne & Crescenzi in Sandymount and the now-very-much-bigger South Frederick Street mothership; as well as L’Officina in Dundrum Town Centre and Kildare Village. Bar Italia was, until recently, part of the Dunne & Crescenzi stable, but this has now been taken over by David Izzo, who has a tremendous knowledge of all things food and wine, and came to Ireland from Rome to work with Eileen and Stefano in the setting up of their empire.
They’ve now opened a new Dunne & Crescenzi branch in my neck of the woods, in the SoCoDu village of Blackrock. It’s in the superb space in Blackrock Shopping Centre that was formerly Clodagh’s (short-lived) Kitchen. This is just a great asset to the village, covering all-day casual dining from breakfast through brunch, lunch, and dinner Wednesday through Sunday.
Heading up the team here is son Ghinlon, and you couldn’t meet a more welcoming chap. Just being able to have
cornetti (Italian-style croissants) and great coffee; or Stefano’s porridge drowned in a long, sweet espresso shot; or scrambled eggs with buffalo mozzarella and smoked speck in the mornings, is very appealing.
Not to mention long weekend brunches with Ghinlon’s spicy touches, including
uova in purgatorio — eggs, Tuscan sausage, tomato and borlotti beans, and optional hot Calabrian chilli paste.
Covering all bases
I popped along for dinner with my Italophile friend Mary, while we planned a booze cruise to France. Antipasti (€7.50-€17.50) included bruschetta, in two sizes, of toasted Altamura bread with tomatoes, fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil, or with goat’s cheese and chargrilled peppers.
Caprese di bufala was there, along with Italian vegetable plates. We decided to share three pieces of lovely freshly chopped tomato bruschetta (€7.50) and a fine antipasto misto board (€13.50), which had a fantastic selection of charcuterie from Emila Romagna and Tuscany, Italian DOP cheeses, olives and marinated vegetables, and toasted foccacia.
There’s something for everyone in the mains selection (€12.50-€29.50) by way of interesting pasta dishes — ravioli del
plin filled with beef and pork; or panzerotti (a small calzone) filled with porcini mushrooms, dressed with Grana Padano DOP fondue and olive oil.
The steak man is covered by way of a rib-eye served with rosemary roast potatoes with a choice of sauces — Gorgonzola cream, pink peppercorn, or Chianti wine. Mary’s fancy was taken by cotolette
d’agnello (€27), a deliciously pink and tender rack of lamb, coated with a pistachio crust, and served with rosemary roast potatoes. I loved my raven-black, squid-ink chitarra spaghetti (€18, pictured, below left) tossed with prawns, squid, mussels, cherry tomatoes and a hint of chilli — asking for more of the last.
We both love Italian ice-creams and sorbets, so, it was sorbetto di limone (€6.50) for me, and gelato amaretto (€6.50) for Mary. They sound much better in Italian, and, better still, they both came with a dash of appropriate liqueurs — Limoncello and Amaretto di Saronno!
Our waiter recommended a full-bodied Blasio Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva 2010 (€35), which proved to be everything he said. With two espressos (€1.75 each) and optional service, our bill came to €129. As usual, Dunne & Crescenzi have you covered for all times of the day.
Did I mention the Dart is just across the road?
“A great asset to the village, covering all-day casual dining from breakfast through brunch, lunch, and dinner”